


The Wait Was Worth It

by ChocolateXMyMouth



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Pre-Relationship, Shopping Malls, Tap - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29234892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateXMyMouth/pseuds/ChocolateXMyMouth
Summary: When Vanessa asks Ferb to accompany her to the mall to pick up something she's been waiting to get for a long time, she talks about how worth the wait waiting so long for something is. Ferb wonders if that can apply to other stuff too.(mostly just an excuse to write more Vanessa tap dancing content and also Ferbnessa friendship fluffies)
Relationships: Vanessa Doofenshmirtz & Ferb Fletcher, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz/Ferb Fletcher
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	The Wait Was Worth It

Vanessa honestly couldn’t stop beaming at what she had discovered.

Okay, backstory time - okay, wow, now she sounded like her dad (not that she really minded honestly, but shh) - a few years ago, online, Vanessa had seen these shoes and had absolutely fallen in love with them. She wasn’t one for being overly obsessed with clothes or even shoes; she had all the style she needed right in her signature outfit. But for some reason, these just spoke to her…

They were called the “LaDuca Roxie” tap shoes, like the Radio City Rockettes wore - their black, polished look just spoke to her; so pretty... Unfortunately, what didn’t speak to her was the price. 

Obviously, the price with that high of quality was probably either warranted or just to be expected, but seriously? Two hundred and fifty dollars?! 

Despite that absolutely atrocious price, she still made a point of wanting the shoes… but if she was going to get them, she was going to earn them. Her mom could definitely afford them and not take a major hit, but she wasn’t a spoiled brat. And she wasn’t even gonna ask her dad - he was reckless with money as it was, and she knew he would do it for her if she asked, which was too much guilt for her to bear.

So what she decided on doing was taking a little bit of money each time she got some and putting it in an envelope, and not even looking at it unless she was recounting it or adding to the total. Over the course of about a year, she didn’t stop saving up in general, but made sure to conserve how much she put towards the tap shoes each time.

Well, today, as she was recounting… she nearly squealed. Vanessa Doofenshmirtz _never_ squealed.

She had enough.

She had saved enough to get the shoes! 

Immediately, she had hopped on her laptop - her local dance store’s website still had them in stock! Apparently, you had to schedule a fitting (probably since they were so expensive and you wanted to make sure you got the perfect size), so she scheduled her fitting for that evening. 

Now, here’s where she finally got embarrassed… she didn’t wanna go alone.

This felt like a special moment - she may want to get a photo for Instagram, or have this memory to talk about with someone who she loved spending time with. 

But unfortunately, all of the people she had in mind were busy… Candace was on a date with Jeremy and like hell she was gonna interrupt that, her mom was in another state on a business trip, and her dad’s ass and his invention were currently being beaten by Perry the Platypus in the other room.

She sighed dejectedly… she was so looking forward to this, and yet now it felt a little less special…

But her entire face perked up as she thought of someone. 

Vanessa quickly grabbed her phone, and crossed her fingers as she shot a text to said person. How had she not thought of him initially? Some friend she was…

_Hey, you doing anything? I have a favor to ask - Vanessa_

She waited for around five minutes before a response finally came through.

_I am currently finishing pie after our latest invention mysteriously vanished. What is this favor? I would be happy to oblige._

Vanessa smiled warmly. Ever the gentleman…

_I’m gonna go pick up my new tap shoes. (Don’t you dare tell anyone I told you I tap dance - ahh who am I kidding, you would never) - Vanessa_

_Wanna come with me? - Vanessa_

Another minute, and a response came up.

_My mum should be okay with it :) When are you coming by?_

_In a few. - Vanessa_

_I’ll see you then! Thanks for doing this with me btw <3 - Vanessa_

_*two thumbs up*_

Vanessa smiled, tossing her phone back on the bed and doing a little cheer. She was so excited once more! This was gonna be so fun…

**-0-**

Vanessa was trusted by Linda, so she decided it was okay to let Ferb go with her to run her errand at the mall. Phineas wouldn’t stop making weird faces at his brother, which no one really understood, but Ferb evidently thought it quite embarrassing, as he turned slightly red at one of the remarks…

“In all seriousness though, that sounds like a lot of fun!” Phineas smiled. “You have fun, Ferb!”

Ferb gave a tongue click, and then looked at his phone as it pinged. He waved goodbye to his friends and family, and they all said goodbye to him in return.

“Hey, why is Ferb going with Vanessa again?” asked Isabella.

“Dunno, he refused to sa-well, I guess, explain,” Phineas shrugged. “Must be a secret. He said it was an inside thing.”

“Well we’re _inside_ the house, why couldn’t he tell us?” Buford asked.

“I cannot believe you,” Baljeet muttered.

As Ferb walked outside, Linda and Lawrence waving him off and making sure Vanessa would have him back by six at the very latest, Vanessa walked over and gave him a fist bump. “Are you ready to see the greatest shoes to ever exist?”

“I certainly am not not ready,” Ferb answered.

Vanessa giggled. “Good to know! Hop on, buddy.”

Ferb got on the back of her D.E.I. scooter, and hugged her waist as they began the three minute journey to the mall.

**-0-**

“Alright, we’re here!” Vanessa said, gesturing to the storefront. “Danville Dance Emporium… since when did we have such a big dance store in the mall?”

Ferb shrugged.

“Yeah, I’ve never noticed it until now… huh,” Vanessa said. “Anyway, let’s do this.”

She walked up to the counter, and a girl with the name tag ‘Maria’ was working the register. “Hi there! How can I help you, ma’am?” the woman said politely.

“Hi! I’m here for a fitting, for Vanessa?” she asked.

“Umm… oh yeah, here you are!” Maria said. “Right this way, ma’am! We’ll get you set up!”

As she walked out from behind the register, Vanessa noticed something… certainly unexpected. The woman was wearing black Mary Jane tap shoes. It wasn’t bad at all, she just was not expecting that.

“Um, miss? I hope this isn’t insensitive or anything, but are you wearing tap shoes?” asked Vanessa.

“Oh, yes I am!” smiled Maria. “Every employee here gets a free pair of dance shoes after their first six months of work! Well, if not free, then fifty percent off. Still gotta make money somehow, right?”

“Right, right, gotcha,” Vanessa nodded. “Isn’t that cool, Ferb?”

“Certainly a prospect for motivating work and making it fun,” said Ferb.

Along the way, they noticed a girl wearing black character tap shoes laughing about something with a dude wearing white tennis shoe style tap shoes, another guy wearing brown ballroom shoes with casual wear (which, somehow, he rocked), and another two women wearing silver pointe and tan jazz slippers respectively. It seemed like a dancer’s dream world.

“Okay, if you will, have a seat on this bench please Vanessa!” Maria said. “I’ll go get your shoes out of the back. You’re a LaDuca Roxie customer, right?”

“Yep,” Vanessa nodded. “Been saving for nearly a year now.”

“Wow, you’re committed,” Maria said. “I respect that! What size are you again?”

“Umm…” Vanessa said, looking down. “I’m… I’m a woman's six and a half.” 

“Okay! We’ll probably run you up a full size larger for max comfort,” Maria said, “I’ll go get your tap shoes.”

As Maria click-clacked away, Vanessa gave Ferb a joking scowl. “Don’t you even dare laugh! I have tiny feet, okay?” 

Ferb smirked, giving a thumbs up and a wink. Vanessa scoffed, rolling her eyes and chuckling. She really liked this kid… he was a good person for doing stuff like this with. He was just such a good person in general.

“Okay, here we are!” smiled Maria. “You ready for the big reveal?”

“You know it,” Vanessa said excitedly, trying to hide how excited she truly was.

Maria lifted the lid, and Vanessa nearly gasped at how gorgeous the shoes were - they were even shinier than the picture, and that had been taken on a white background! “This is a freshly polished pair,” smiled Maria. “You wanna try 'em on?”

“Of course!” Vanessa said happily. She took off her left boot and sock, and slid on the Roxie tap shoe in its place… it fit _perfectly._ Yes, she had on tap shoes recently, but it had been too long since she had a nice, sleek pair of high heel tap shoes on. These fit the bill quite nicely indeed.

“Oh my gosh, look Ferb, it fits perfectly!” Vanessa said excitedly. 

Ferb smiled - seeing Vanessa happy was such a lovely image, one he could look at forever. “It certainly does, doesn’t it? And very pretty too.”

“So pretty,” Vanessa echoed. “May I have the other shoe, please?”

“Of course - they’re yours now!” Maria said, evidently excited _for_ Vanessa that she was getting these shoes. Vanessa eagerly took off her other sock and boot, and slid the second tap shoe on in its place… she couldn’t stop the little giggle that bubbled up out of her chest.

“I feel so happy right now,” Vanessa said to both people accompanying her, tapping the toes together.

“You know…” Maria said, a smile coming to her lips, “we have practice mats over near the center of the store! They’re free if used for under five minutes!”

Vanessa gave Ferb a look. “Should I, buddy?”

Ferb gave her a thumbs up.

“Yeah, if I may, could you point me in the general direction of where this dance mat would be?” asked Vanessa, trying to act completely innocent.

Maria laughed heartily. “Better yet, why don’t I guide you?”

“Lead the way!” Vanessa smiled, getting up. 

Vanessa literally felt like she had known this woman for ages. As a gesture of goodwill, she even hooked her arm around the employee. To make sure Ferb didn’t feel left out, she held onto his hand.

She excitedly walked behind Maria, at the same time absolutely _loving_ how she was now click-clacking the whole way, matching the employee’s sounds in front of her. 

They then came to the dance floors, and Vanessa smiled as Maria unhooked her arm, and gestured to whichever mat she felt would suit her. 

“Okay, really quickly, Ferb - can you play… this video for me, just right before I start?” asked Vanessa. “I hope this won’t be too loud or distracting.”

“Nah, you’re good!” Maria smiled. “The music at the front will be distracting most of the people coming in, anyway.”

“Thank you so much,” Vanessa beamed. She then excitedly skipped over to the dance floor, and then did something unexpected - she took off her coat. 

Underneath was a baby blue colored t-shirt, that even had a little flower emblem on her chest. Ferb prayed his eyes hadn’t widened too much at this as he held Vanessa’s phone. “Ready, Ferb?”

Ferb nodded, and pressed play on the video.

He instantly recognized the track - it was from Singin’ In The Rain, an all time classic! It was from that one scene where two dudes harassed a diction coach in his office. You know the one.

Vanessa excitedly bopped around as she waited to get to the dance number part of the song, instantly recognizing it right before it came up… 

All her classes’ worth of knowledge projected itself into her feet, as she proceeded to do her favorite style of tap - fast tap - in the shoes. 

Did it hurt like heck because they weren’t broken in yet? Absolutely! But even through her slight grimace and cringe from the shoes really biting back at first, Vanessa convinced herself it was worth it - especially when she got into a groove, and started to feel the rhythm of the song.

“Wow… your friend’s really good!” said Maria. 

Ferb nodded to the best of his current ability, trying not to miss a second of Vanessa’s dance. It was… well, had he known Vanessa tapped before this, he certainly would have inquired about it. The way she moved her feet was so intricate and frankly awe inspiring, and the way she controlled her arm’s movement to sync up with her feet was like something you’d see a pro do.

And when she finished after about thirty seconds, she got a round of applause - not just from Ferb and Maria, but from all the earlier employees she had seen as they walked to the practice mat. Vanessa couldn’t help but blush as she did a little curtsy, thanking them but feeling a little embarrassed her first tap dance had been an accidental street performance.

“Thanks Ferb,” she smiled, rubbing her heated cheek as she put her phone into her pocket and grabbed her coat. “I paid online, right? Or did it not go through? I’ve… whoo, sorry! I’m a bit out of breath!”

“No you’re good!” Maria smiled. “Yes, we saw you paid online. You can just take your new shoes and go!” 

“Thank you so much, again,” Vanessa smiled. The two women then proceeded to exchange numbers after feeling like they had known each other forever, but before Vanessa could make it out of the aisle to head out, Ferb poked her on the side.

“Yeah buddy?” asked Vanessa, smiling.

Ferb pointed to her boots and socks still laying by the bench.

“Oh, that’s… yeah, I need those, don’t I?” Vanessa giggled. “Thanks buddy!”

After Vanessa put her new tap shoes back into their box, and felt a very _very_ large amount of relief return to her feet and ankles after putting her socks and boots back on, she waved goodbye to Maria and returned to her scooter outside the mall with Ferb in tow.

She smiled as she put the shoe box underneath the seat, taking one last look at her new tap shoes before closing it. “Well, I’d say that was pretty worth the wait, wouldn’t you dude?”

Ferb nodded, giving a thumbs up.

“Hey, also… thanks for going with me,” Vanessa smiled. “I wouldn’t have been so happy or excited without you here, Ferb. I don’t even think I would’ve had the courage to actually tap dance in public - I seriously don’t know what came over me!”

“The joys of dance often overtake us in ways we least expect,” Ferb said. 

“I’ve gotten five lines out of you today!” Vanessa chuckled proudly. “And that’s so true. You’re a smart little dude, Ferb - and also my buddy. Gotta count for something, right?”

Ferb returned the gesture by hugging Vanessa to the best of his quite short ability. “D’aww,” Vanessa cooed, hugging him back. “You’re special to me, Ferb. Anyone gives you any trouble, you let me know, alright? Tap shoes make just as good weapons as they do beautiful dance equipment.”

Ferb chuckled softly, giving Vanessa a thumbs up. The two best friends then boarded her scooter to go back to the Flynn-Fletcher residence to drop Ferb off.

As they were going back, however, Ferb couldn’t help but think about what Vanessa had said about her new shoes… that even though it had taken ages to get to the point of having them, they were certainly worth the wait.

Ferb wondered if that could apply to more than just that.

He certainly thought so.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/Kudos give me life! <3
> 
> I absolutely adore Vanessa tap dance content (what little we have of it - but there's a good amount for it, IMO, because every bit of it is so wonderful and valid!!) and we could always use more IMO - if you have any ideas, please let me know in the comments or pop by @dumbausfromdanville on Tumblr to let me know! I love hearing from you all so much, and I love all of you! <3


End file.
